Ball-rolling mill.



F. E. CANDA.

BALL ROLLING MILL.

APPLICATION FILED'JUNE 25,1915.

Patented May14,1918.

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BALL ROLLING MILL. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 25, 19I5.

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F. E. CANDA.

I BALL ROLLING MILL. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 25. 1915.

"Patented May14, 1918. 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- llllll llll lllll 3 nvawto c 7M 6- C a; $51 attozwug the initial diameter of the FERDINAND E. CANDA, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

BALL-ROLLING MILL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 14, 1918.

Application filed June 25, 1915. Serial No.'36,201.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FERDINAND E. OANDA, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ball-Rolling Mills, of which the following is a specification. I

My invention relates to improvements in ball rolling machines. The machine for that purpose herein illustrated and described carries out the method of ball rolling described and claimed in my application for Letters Patent filed February 23, 1915, Serial No. 9845, embodying compressing transversely at spaced intervals a bar of compressible material, and causing simultaneous rotation of such bar and gradual grooving of such bar at points of application of pressure, and forcing the material, displaced by such rolling, outward between successive grooves; the result being a ball of larger diameter than bar from which My invention consists in novel cooperating and reciprocating ball forming means, an in other features, all as hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the appended claim.

The machine herein described is particularly intended for forming balls of large diameter, say from three inches upward, from steel or other metalsheated to a forgthe balls are formed.

I ing or rolling temperature; but is also applicable to the forming of balls from lead and like metals which may be rolled cold; also from non-metallic materials capable of being rolled.

The objects of my invention are, to improve means for forming balls and other objects of rotation, not necessarily spherical, and to make such means simple, compact, durable, eflicient, and of suchnature that they may be operated by workmen acquainted with ordinary rolling operations.

I will now proceed to describe my invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, and will then point out the novel features in claim:

Figure 1 shows a vertical longitudinal section of a horizontal type of ball rolling machine embodying my invention; Fig. 1 shows a transverse vertical section through the rack bars and gear.

Fig. 2 shows a partial top view and partial horizontal section of the said machine.

Fig. 3 shows an end view of the machine.

Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are diagrammatic views, showing the ball forming dies in section, and in different stages of the operation of rolling blanks into balls. Fig. 7 is a similar dlagrammatic view on a smaller scale, showing means whereby two cooperating ball rolling dies may form a ball at each stroke of said dies.

Fig. 8 shows a side elevation of alternative drive means for the dies.

Fig. 9 shows a fragmentary vertical longitudinal section of a ball rolling mill similar to that shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, but embodying roller bearings for the reciprocating dies.

Fig. 10 shows a side elevation of a vertical ball rolling mill of the general type of the machine shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3.

Fig. 11 is a fragmentary detail horizontal section of a portion of the machine shown in Fig. 9, on section line y-y, looking upward.

Fig. 12 is a more or less diagrammatic elevation of cooperating ball forming dies and associated parts, indicating the use of structurally separate finishing dies.

Figs. 13 and 14 are fragmentary transverse sections of dies adapted for rolling non-spherical articles of rotation.

Referring first to Figs. 1-6 inclusive; Numerals 1 and 2 designate, respectively, upper and lower grooved ball rolling dies, mounted upon sliding carriages 3 and 4, respectively, the grooves of the two dies registering, the carriages sliding on suitable guides provided on frame members 5 and 6. The carriages 3 and 4 are provided with rack bars 7 and 8 respectively and a gear 9 having a shaft 10 mounted in suitable bearings in the frame of the machine, is provided for communicating motion from the one rack bar to the other. It will be seen that if either of these rack bars be caused to move longitudinally, a corresponding but opposite motion will be communicated through the gear 9 to the other rack bar. Various means may be employed for so moving one of the rack bars and communicating motion, other rack bar;-I have illustrated for the purpose hydraulic cylinders 11 having within them pistons 1.2 and piston rods 13 connected by a cross head 14 to each other and to the lower rack bar 8; but it is obviously immaterial to which of the rack bars the through the gear 9 to the port of vthe cross head, a carrying. wheel the diecarriages.

cross head is connected. The hydraulic cylinders will be understood to be provided either direction at will. For convenientsupis provided.

The ball rolling dies 1 and 2 are provided with grooves 17, and intervening ribs 18, of

'suchrnature that, when the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 1, a rod 16, forming a ball-blank, may be introduced between the dies 1 and 2; and then, as these dies are 'moved in opposite directions (thelower die moving toward the left of'Fig. 1 and the upper die moving toward the right of that V figure) the material of the rod willjbe forced "such necks; by which time the material of 1 tions the ball blank outward into said grooves, the ridges between the grooves forming; necks in} the bar and, eventually, severing or nearly severlng the bar forced into the grooves will have assumed substantially the'cross section of the grooves, and will have assumeda practically spherical shape. as the dies 1 and 2 move in opposite direcrolls, and eventually dropsoff from the right handend of the die 2 as a series of separate balls, or as aball-bar i consisting of a plurality of balls connected it by small andnarrow necks,

I accordingto the adjustmentlof the dies.

The lowerdie, 2, is

by the distance-of 'die 2 from die l may be varied atjwill. A lip 20 provided in connection-with'die 2, prevents the bar from rolling off the left hand end of that die 2 at the start of the operation.

progressive stages gradual increase in diameter of the ball forming material as that material progresses through the grooves of the dies.

Obviously, the dies may be double-sloped so as to form a ball'at each stroke; and in Fig.7 I show dies i and 2 so formed, indi-w eating the die 1 in two positions, one shown in full lines and thefother in dotted lines,

which arepositions corresponding to opposite limits of stroke of such dies.

In the case of a mill constructed toroll balls in both directions of' motion-of the "dies, such as 'shown'in Fig. 7 aball blanlc will be dropped in between the dies or near thebeginning of 'each'stroke ofithedies.

-' In some cases, the stroke of thediesmay be so great that itis inconvenient or uneconomical to reciprocate such dies'by means of hydraulic cyli-nders'and pistons as shown in upon the shaft 10 0f the gear 9, and-driven'- V. The ball rolling mill shown in Figs. 1, 2

Itwill be understood that which shaft 23may be driven by a reversible steam eng ine, e lectric motor, or other suitable'drive means.

and 3, is provided with slide bearings for In some cases itis preferable'to employ roller bearings for these die carriages, and such a construction I illustrate in Fig. 9, wherein the frame members 5 and 6* (corresponding to theframe members 5 and 6 of Fig. 1 are spaced away from the die carriages'3 and 4,-a distance sufficient for the interposition of bearing rollers 24E. These bearing rollers are preferably connected by spacers 25v .(in bearings of which spacers the axles of the rollers .are mounted); whereby the rollersare kept at proper distances apart. .The operation of this millis obviously the same as thermill shown in Figs. 1-3 inclusive.

In some cases it is desirable to mount the ball rolling dies for vertical reciprocation, instead of for horizontal reciprocation.

Such a-mill is illustrated in Fig. 10,, the con-; struction of the mill being substantially the same as that shown Figs. 1, 2.,andq3,except that the dies, the die carriages, and the frame 1 members along. which. such die, carriages move, are mountednvertically ;,.also, the hydraulic cylinders by .whichuthedies are reciprocated... The vertical mill 'hasthe gadvant'age thatscale isnotfapt to collect in shownf'as mountedso as to be capable of adjustment upon an inclined slide 19 wherethe guide ways-'ofleitherdie carriage, nor in the groovesof thev dies: Also thetvertical mill occupies less floor space. than does. the

horizontal mill. 7 e

In the form :of.machine;shown in-rFig. 9,

.wherein roller; bearings arev .provided'for the die-carriages,,during the working-strokes of the; dies the bearing: rollerswill, :ofrcflflrse,

but through. approximately the dies, since there is; then. nothing. between the dies, the bearing rollerslfoiz;the-upper die may be out of contact, withtheiframe member 5% in which case the..upp.er.;. bearing rollers .wbuldbe carriediback .bygthecjdies, and,eif nothing were providedato :prevent, would be carried farthenthanthey should loe carried. To. prevent this, Is provide stops 26, (Fig. 11) ;engaging thespacersj25 when the bearing. rollers near the. proper-limit of their left hand movement;;and ,I.;provide springs 27 engaging said stops 12,6,awhereby the bearing rollers are brought .[tdlresh-gradually. Y Y

. Obviously, this machinei'iscadapted for forming articles of rotation othenthan balls.

In Fig. 13 I show in transverse-sectiorrdies, there designated bynumeralsl'f and2?,;;hav-

ing grooves :adapt'edfor. forming objects of .velliptical shape and; in. ,Fig'fjllzkli show dies may be called balls, and in the following claim I intend the term ball rolling dies and like terms to include dies for forming objects of rotation, of the general nature of balls, but not necessarily spherical.

It is sometimes desirable to provide the.

dies with separate and separately adjustable finishing dies. This is illustrated in Fig. 12, wherein numerals 1 and 2 designate the main ball forming dies, and numerals 28 and 29 designate separate and separately adjustable finishing dies. Such finishing dies, when employed, are generally set to give just that slight reduction to the material passing between them which is necessary in order to insure rotation of the ball-bar 16 between them. It is easier to provide such separate finishing dies with ridges, between the grooves, adapted to sever or nearly sever the formed, or nearly formed, balls from one another, than it is to provide the terminal portions of the main dies with ridges adapted to sever or nearly sever the balls one from another.

In my application for Letters Patent filed June 10, 1915, Sr. No. 33,223, I have illustrated, described and claimed, in connection with a somewhat different type of ball rolling mill, finishing dies, employed in connection with the main ball forming dies, as just above described.

What I claim is:

A rolling mill comprising in combination reciprocating die members, guides for said members, bearing rollers between one of said reciprocating members and its corresponding guide, a frame connecting said rollers, ,stop means for said frame, and means for communicating relative motion to said reciprocating member.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

H. M. Mm, PAUL H. FRANKE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of latenta. Washington, D. G. 

